


The Blue Spirit and the Dual Bending Thief

by Mattay



Series: Encouters with a Dual Bender [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-19 17:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattay/pseuds/Mattay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko meets Taila, a very interesting girl with a very interesting friend. They team up to steal back Taila's flying water serpent and to free Zuko's uncle, but Zuko's new companion is no ordinary girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Please don't sue me.

It was said that there were once others besides the Avatar who could master the power of more than one element. They were the dual benders, masters of two elements. Children of two different bending parents born on the eve of a solstice could sometimes be gifted with the abilities of both parents, but not all elements could coexist in pairs within one being. The dual benders lacked the balance of all four elements that was natural to the Avatar, and so they often brought chaos with them as they were unable to control their powers. Some believed that dual benders wielding the power of opposing elements, fire and water or earth and air, had so much power that the elements would bend to one’s emotions, sometimes more so than to their will. But the dual benders died out and new ones ceased being born, either because of the stars or some curse upon their kind, no one knew. Truth became legend; legend became myth; and myths were forgotten, all long before the time of the fire nation’s first attack. But just because something is forgotten, does not mean it is lost forever.


	2. Chapter 2

            Zuko pulled the blue spirit mask over his face and ran towards the shouts he heard further into the woods. He came across five men in what appeared to be the act of robbing a girl about his age. It was taking three of them to hold the girl back while the other two struggled to stuff something iridescent blue and wriggling into a large sack. Zuko wondered what the strange creature was, and stepped out of the shadows for the sake of pure curiosity. The men turned toward him. The two struggling with the creature tossed it and the sack into the back of a cart a few feet away. They started towards him, one with a chain and the other with a large club. He quickly disposed of them easily, and then the sixth man appeared. He had been standing off to the side and Zuko hadn’t noticed him earlier. All of the sudden, stone walls started rising around him.

 _Oh great,_ he thought, _an earth bender._ Zuko didn’t dare risk using his fire bending. The last thing he needed was the nearest earth kingdom troupe to hear that there was a rogue fire bender in the forest. He wall jumped out of his rising trap and drew his twin swords. He deflected the first few smaller stones, but his swords were nothing against the solid boulders that would start coming soon.

“Get them off me!” the girl yelled from behind him.

Zuko whirled around and went after the nearest man who had a grip on her. Once she had one arm free, she moved like lightning; one jab to the jugular of the second man; one knee to the groin of the third. Then she dropped down and swept her leg around, bringing both men to the ground. Meanwhile, Zuko was busy dodging boulders and sidestepping earthen pillars that were erupting from the ground. As he jumped to the right to avoid a particularly large projectile, he found that he had nowhere to land. He fell into a pit, which then began to close around him.

The hole was too deep to jump out of and the walls were encroaching fast. He looked up to see the tall earth bender smirking down at him. Suddenly, something hit the man and knocked him out of Zuko’s view. With its master distracted, the earth stopped moving and Zuko was able to get a foothold and began climbing out. What he found at the top mad him freeze halfway out of the pit.

Near the opening of the cart lay an empty canteen. It had probably been knocked out when the sack and creature were thrown in, or it had fallen from the side or top of the cart after being hit by a stray rock. It wasn’t the canteen that interested him, but the contents that were flying through the air attacking the earth bender. The girl was water bending. It was unlike any Zuko had ever seen, although he had really only seen that girl that traveled with the Avatar. Her movements weren’t smooth and graceful with an underlying power like what he had seen before. They were quick, excited, almost like a playful dance. There wasn’t much water available, but it was enough. It would split into bullets, wind together in a whip, and wrap and slither like a snake. It froze and melted so often and so quickly that Zuko couldn’t tell what state it was in until it made contact with the man, who was desperately trying to summon up barriers to protect himself. His companions were fleeing and he soon followed, sinking into the earth beneath him to escape the storm that was coming from a seemingly impossibly small source. Zuko watched the ridge of dirt speed away off into the forest.

“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”

Zuko spun around. The girl was looking at him with an unreadable expression. A rustle from the cart drew both of their attention away from each other. The girl walked over and pulled the bag off of a shape Zuko couldn’t make out. The blue jumble then began to rise into the air and he saw what he at first thought was a small dragon. He then realized it looked more like a snake, without the embellishments around the head that he had seen in old paintings of dragons. It was about six feet long was constantly in motion, bending and twisting around itself in the air next to the girl.

“He’s a flying sea serpent, but he’s not full grown yet. I call him Kah.” She was looking right at him. Did she expect him to respond? How the hell did she find that creature? _Well, it’s a_ sea _snake and she’s a_ water _bender, where do you think?_ He really should leave; he needed to get back to Uncle Iroh. He didn’t have time for introductions. What would he say? ‘Hi I’m Zuko, exiled prince of the fire nation’? That’d go well. He turned his back and began swiftly racing through the trees back towards the cave where they were staying. As he ran, he heard the girl call out from behind him:

“My name’s Taila.”

He didn’t turn back. He did not need a water bender to make his life more complicated.


	3. Chapter 3

“Uncle, I’m back,” Zuko called as he entered the cave. He carried with him a basket of fruit and a water filled canteen.

“Oh good, did you bring water? I have found a blue rose plant. It makes an excellent tea.”

“I don’t want any tea, Uncle. Don’t you have anything better to do than constantly search for more tea?” Zuko was not in a good mood. He’d gotten side tracked the other day when he met the girl and hadn’t gotten to the market in time to hit the fish vender. All they had was paya fruit, and he hated paya fruit.

“Of course that’s not all I do. Sometimes I enjoy a good game of pai sho at the tea house in the village.”

Zuko smacked his forehead with his palm and sighed. Leaving the water and fruit, he stepped out of the cave, thinking he would head to river to catch some dinner. He sucked at fishing; he just needed an excuse not to stay in the cave. It was stifling. Their whole lifestyle was stifling, keeping their heads down while his sister continued the mission he’d started. As he turned west towards the river, something fell to the ground right in front of him. A few inches closer and would have landed on his head. He looked down and saw that it was a basket… _of fish;_ glorious, big, fat, meaty fish worthy of a nobleman’s dinner table. Then he heard a _thud_ behind him.

Zuko turned, ready to summon the rage he always kept on standby to fuel his fire…. It wasn’t necessary.

“Hi again.” It was that girl, Taila. How had she found him? That snake thing (she’d called it Kah) was swirling around in the air next to her. “You didn’t stick around very long. What’s your name?” She was talking as if he’d made a hurried exit from a meeting in the market and they were just running into each other again. Zuko immediately glanced around. The only water he was aware of was the canteen inside the cave, so she shouldn’t be a threat. You don’t bring food to someone you’re planning to attack.

“How did you find me?” He wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. Did she expect him to thank her for the fish and walk away?

“Kah did. He can always find benders. It’s a flying sea serpent thing. What kind of bender are you?”

“Uh… I’m not.” This could be bad. It didn’t matter what he had or hadn’t done, it never went well when people found out about his fire bending.

“You’re lying.”

 “No I’m not!”

“Yes you are. Kah’s never wrong about benders and I’m _almost_ never wrong about liars. You’re not an earth bender. If you were you wouldn’t have tried to fight that bender with swords. You’re not an air bender since the avatar’s the only one of those and you don’t have an arrow on your head.”

How did she know what the avatar looked like? Even the fire nation wanted posters for the avatar didn’t say who he was (they didn’t want people knowing that the one person who could bring down the fire nation was on the loose).

“You’re not a water bender or you wouldn’t be lying to me, since you know I’m a water bender. That means you must be a fire bender,” she finished, sounding somewhat proud of herself. Where was the yelling, fighting, fleeing, insult hurling, or general panicking that usually came with that revelation?

Zuko stared at her, not sure what to think. She knew he was a fire bender, so why didn’t that bother her? It was as if she’d just caught him steeling an extra dessert, rather than hiding out in the earth kingdom.

“Well?” she looked at him expectantly.

“What?” What was she waiting for?

“Was I right?”

“Er, well…”

“Zuko, who are you talking to?” Uncle Iroh came strolling out of the cave holding a cup of hot tea. He paused when he saw Taila and Kah. “Why didn’t you tell me we had guests?” Then he saw the fish. “Oh, and guests who bring gifts. Have you invited them in yet Zuko?”

“Well, no. Uncle, she —“

“Hasn’t had her question answered yet,” she interrupted.

“What question would that be?” Iroh really needed to stop intruding on his business. Zuko could tell from that mischievous twinkle in his eye that he clearly had the wrong idea about what was going on between the two teenagers in front of him.

“I asked if I was right about him being a fire bender.” The twinkle left Iroh’s eye and he put on his serious old man face. Kah moved towards him, a movement that looked more like a floating slither than flight. Taila looked at Iroh and looked even more pleased than earlier.

“I’ll take his lack of a response as confirmation, and I’m guessing you’re one too.”

Iroh appeared totally calm. “Would you like to come in?”

She smiled and headed towards the cave entrance. Iroh and Zuko glanced at each other, then Iroh nodded towards the fish and followed Taila and Kah into the cave. Zuko sighed, picked up the fish, and followed.


	4. Chapter 4

They all just sat there. Kah was swirling, as he always was. Zuko was starting to think that that was the only way he stayed in the air, like how insects flapped their wings. Finally, Iroh broke the silence.  
“It is rare that my nephew brings company, and never has the company been as beautiful as yourself.”  
Zuko had to resist the urge to slam his palm to his forehead. He’d preferred the silence. He realized he hadn’t really looked at the girl, so he did so now. She had long, dark, curly hair that fell just below her shoulders. She wasn’t scrawny or lanky like most girls he knew. Her body was curved and her arms looked strong, but she seemed agile. She must have been since she had just been hanging around in a tree without his notice. What Zuko noticed most about her though were her eyes. They had a gleam, as if she were secretly laughing at some private joke, or finding joy in some secret knowledge. But most intriguing was their color, or rather colors. One was golden, like his, Iroh’s, and most of the fire nation’s; however the other was the purest blue, similar to those of those two water tribe siblings that travelled with the avatar, but different. The blue seemed to swirl and change like a pool of water, just as the gold seemed to burn and flicker with the occasional orange or red.  
“You know what we are, yet you do not seem worried. Does it not bother you to be in the presence of fire nation?” Iroh’s question brought Zuko back to the situation at hand.  
“I said you were fire benders, that doesn’t make you fire nation. You’re hiding. If you were fire nation, you’d be making your way to their nearest base; but you’re in the middle of the forest, avoiding everyone: earth kingdom and fire nation. You’re hiding from the earth kingdom because you’re fire benders, but you’re hiding from the fire nation for some other reason. What is it?” She seemed so confident in everything she said, like talking to fugitives in a cave was something that happened every day.  
“I will answer your question as soon as you answer mine. Why are you not afraid? Fire runs through our veins, and so most would consider us enemies, regardless of who we hide from.” Iroh was maintaining his unreadable expression, but Zuko could tell he was being cautious. He didn’t blame him. For all they knew, the answer to his uncle’s question was that the girl was insane.  
“I don’t judge people based on where they were born, for starters. The other reason is that I’m pretty sure I could make it out alive if you attacked me.” She smiled slightly at that last part. Zuko didn’t doubt her, and that worried him. Never trap yourself with an enemy that’s stronger than you.  
“I am Jang Cho and this is my nephew, Lee. We are fugitives of the fire nation…” he smiled at her, “as, I believe, are you. We are hiding from the fire nation princess and her team. We have been marked as traitors to the fire lord.”  
Taila stared at him for a moment, then responded: “You’re lying.” Iroh and Zuko tensed. “Those aren’t your real names and there’s something about your relationship to the princess that you’re leaving out.” She looked at Zuko, “I told you I could tell when people were lying.” She looked back at Iroh. “I heard you refer to your nephew as Zuko before you knew I was here. I’ve seen wanted posters with that name, always accompanied by one for General Iroh, which must be you. That would make him the princess’s brother and you the Dragon of the West.” There it was again, that smug look that meant she knew she was right.  
Iroh’s stoic expression faltered. He hadn’t expected her to be so attentive, but he had his own knowledge as well. “I have heard of you as well, in rumors, whispers, and stories over games of pai sho; the thief and the strange shining creature that is often found hovering near. You are wanted by both the earth kingdom and fire nation as well. Tell me, from whom did you steal these fish?”  
“She didn’t,” Zuko said before he realized he was speaking. Iroh looked at him curiously, and Zuko realized that he had never told him about the girl, so he explained. “I saw her in the woods the other day. She’s a water bender.”  
“Well then,” Iroh said, “that makes your lack of fear all the more interesting. How did you—” but the girl raised a hand and stopped him. She was looking at Kah. His movements were becoming quicker, less graceful, almost frantic.  
“We need to leave,” she said with authority.  
“Why?” the two fire benders asked in unison, but she was already exiting the cave. Something about her made them suddenly trust her and they put out the fire, grabbed their packs and followed.  
Taila started rushing through the forest, with Kah close behind. Zuko didn’t find it hard to keep up, but he could tell his uncle wasn’t used to running. The girl stopped when they reached a cliff. In the valley below, Zuko saw something that made his heart stop. Azula, flanked by Ty Lee and Mai, sat in her sedan-chair. Twelve men carried her and her two sidekicks, each in their own seat, though Azula’s was the largest. She didn’t see them. Her attention was on the sky, where Zuko saw the familiar shadow of a six-legged flying bison.


	5. Chapter 5

“We need to leave, Zuko.” Iroh made no attempt to mask the urgency in his voice, so Taila turned around. “Is that your sister?” she asked.

“Yeah, we need to go.” He turned and followed his uncle. They were heading towards the village. The earth kingdom may want them dead, but they had a better chance of hiding amongst earth kingdom citizens than out in the woods where she was sure to search. He’d take an earth kingdom prison over Azula any day.

As they neared the road, Kah wrapped around Iroh, stopping his hurried walk. Zuko looked behind him. He hadn’t even noticed that the girl and snake were following them. As Iroh struggled to move through the trees with the creature still around him, Zuko heard a loud whisper as his uncle stepped out onto the road.

“Stop!” Taila hissed, but it was too late. Iroh and Kah were knocked to the side by a komodo rhino. Zuko tried to run forward to help him, but Taila grabbed his shirt and covered his mouth. Then he realized that it had not been a stray rhino that had hit his uncle and the snake. Eight fire nation soldiers, all mounted, surrounded his uncle, who seemed to have hit his head when he fell. Kah began to float into the air, but his tail was grabbed by one of the soldiers.

“Well if it isn’t the Dragon of the West,” one of the soldiers sneered. “Chain his hands. We’re taking this traitor to the princess.”

“What of this thing?” the soldier that was still gripping Kah asked.

“Bring it with us. It might be valuable.” With that the party departed, and with them they took Iroh and Kah.

“This is your fault!” Zuko whirled on Taila. “If your stupid snake hadn’t—”

“Hadn’t what?” she cut him off. “Hadn’t tried to stop him? You think Kah was _trying_ to get caught by fire nation?”

Zuko felt a wave of guilt wash over him. She looked like she had just watched her family carried away and here he was yelling at her; but then the innocence and fear passed and she just looked pissed.

“We’re getting them back.” She said stubbornly.

“I figured that, but how?”

“You don’t follow a flying bison on foot, and you can’t bring komodo rhinos on war balloons. That leaves sea. They’ll probably take them to the docks in the village.” She turned and started walking towards the village, avoiding the road.

Zuko was starting to admire her. She had remained calm, she was thinking clearly, and he had no other option but to work with her. Here he was with a known thief, and he didn’t for a second distrust her. Why was that? Usually he was suspicious of everyone, but something about her made him trust her completely. Perhaps it was the mutually assured destruction. They were both wanted by everyone. If one betrayed the other, they would likely endanger themselves. Maybe it was the way she seemed to trust him; her lack of fear of fire benders, even the fire nation royalty. She didn’t give him wary glances or move to keep him out of her blind spots, she simply turned her back to him without even thinking about it. Maybe he trusted her because of that look in her eyes. They weren’t soiled by that faint glint of fear, hatred, or uncertainty that most people who grew up during the war had hiding behind all of their other emotions. No, it wasn’t the look in her eyes that made him trust her, it was the eyes themselves. They were balanced perfectly, fire and water coexisting in the same beautiful face. Had he just called her beautiful? _Well she is,_ he thought to himself.

They stepped out of the forest and headed for the docks. Just as Taila had predicted, there was the tall, metal, coal-fueled fire nation navy ship. What they hadn’t counted on was that it was leaving. Zuko broke into a run towards the ship that carried his uncle, but he didn’t stand a chance. He watched helplessly as it moved further and further from reach.

“Come on,” Taila was passing him now. She walked to the edge of the dock, and then stepped over. Zuko ran to see what she was doing. Did she expect to swim after them? It was quiet, too quiet. There was no splash. He peered over the edge and saw that she was standing on a frozen platform. “Are you coming?” she asked looking up at him. He jumped down, landing two feet from her.

Then they began sinking. At first Zuko panicked, but when he looked over at his new partner he saw that she was bending. She was waving her arms smoothly and gracefully as she lowered them down, a bubble forming around them. Once they were a few feet below the surface, her movements became swifter. She moved as if she were pulling the water around them back, moving them forward. Every now and then, another bubble would merge with theirs. Zuko figured this was what prevented them from running out of air. When he saw the shadow of the ship above them, they started rising. There was a hatch on the bottom of the ship for emergency exits, should the vessel capsize. A hook crafted from ice connected them to the ship and Taila froze the bubble around them. They’d reached the ship, now they just had to board, find Kah and Iroh, fight off Azula, and escape. This was not going to be a pleasant family reunion.


	6. Chapter 6

“They're probably keeping my uncle in one of the cells on the level above. I’m not sure about Kah. If Azula plans to sell him, he’ll be in storage. If she plans to keep him he might be in her private quarters. That one’s more likely, but it’s also the most dangerous since that’s where Azula is most likely to be, probably with several guards outside as well. We should check the storage deck first. There’s no need to deal with Azula if we don’t have to,” Zuko summarized his plan for Taila. He was taking the lead, he decided. It was his family they were dealing with and he was more familiar with the fire navy’s ships and the fire nation in general.

            “No,” okay, maybe he wasn’t leading.

            “What do you mean ‘no’?”

            “First of all, _I_ will be getting Kah and you will get your uncle, it’ll be faster. Secondly, I’m going straight to your sister. If I take the time to check both places there will be time for someone to raise an alarm and I’ll have to deal with her anyways. I’d rather fight her on my terms. Once you have your uncle, meet me back here and I’ll bend us back to shore.” She didn’t sound like she was offering a suggestion.

            Zuko was a bit taken aback. He wasn’t used to having someone question him so firmly. He didn’t like the idea of separating. He and his uncle didn’t stand a chance of escaping in a lifeboat and he didn’t completely trust the girl whom he had just met. She didn’t need him. It would be easy for her to get her serpent and escape, leaving them behind. He was about to argue when she said, “You think I’m gonna leave you.” She looked at him in a way that made him feel like she could see into his mind.

            “I can’t see a reason for you not to.”

            “I can. I’m not like that, so I won’t. Maybe I’ll be waiting for you when you get here; maybe you’ll be waiting for me; but we’re leaving together, with both Kah and your uncle.”

            Something in her eyes, those eyes that seemed to make her a living contradiction, made him believe her. “Go up two levels and go left down the hall. There’ll be a big door, you can’t miss it. That’s where you’ll find her and hopefully Kah.” She smiled at him and then turned to leave. Zuko watched her go. He hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake.


	7. Chapter 7

Taila climbed the stairs towards the level where Zuko had said Azula and Kah would be. He had been unnerved by her challenging him. He had assumed that he would take the lead here since he was former fire nation and she was just a water bending nomad, but she knew more about the fire nation than he thought. She understood his concern. From his point of view, there would probably be a sense of comfort in knowing your exit strategy. He didn’t totally trust her, she could tell. People who live on the run tend not to be too trusting, but she wasn’t planning to leave him. She had been telling him the truth when she said that wasn’t her style, but that was only part of the reason. She liked the fire prince. It had been a long time since she had last met fire benders that weren’t trying to capture or kill her.  
She reached the level she wanted and peered around the corner. There were two guards outside the door Zuko had described. She could take them out easily enough. Kah was behind that door. She could feel it. She stepped back down the stairs and began gently tapping the wall, loudly enough for the guards to here, but not so loud that anyone else would. In a few seconds she heard footsteps approaching the stairwell. When they rounded the corner she grabbed the first and sent a jab to wind pipe. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath. The second came at her, but she side stepped and got behind him. She put him in a choke hold and waited for the body to go limp. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious.  
She’d brought a canteen of water with her. If things went bad she planned to go to the main deck where she would have the whole ocean, but for now she wanted to keep this as small as possible. Kah being stolen twice in one week had her on edge, and if she lost control the whole ship and everyone on it could end up at the bottom of the sea, or worse. She made her way to the door. She went to grab the handle, but felt the heat rising from it before she touched it. She was expected. So much for the element of surprise.  
Using her bending, she made herself an ice glove around one hand. She grabbed the handle, yanked the door open and sent an icicle shooting through. The fire princess had been waiting. She hadn’t expected the immediate attack, but she avoided it. Taila got the lay of the room. It was huge. Who had this kind of room on a ship? Kah was in the back corner, in a cage. He wasn’t hovering, there was no room. He just lay there. His scales seemed dimmer than usual. Taila hated cages. She hated being in them and she hated seeing her friends in them.  
Azula began her attack. Taila focused on dodging. While her opponent was busy attacking her, Taila was bending a key as she tried to open Kah’s cage. As she dodged balls and whips of fire, she heard a satisfying click and the cage opened. Kah raced out like a bat out of hell and went out the door. Taila wasn’t worried, he would be fine. It was everyone else she was worried about.  
She backed out of the room. The princess was deadly and Taila didn’t have enough space to keep dodging, so she backed towards the exit that would take her to the open air. She could feel the water as she got close. The second she was out she sent a huge wave at the entrance. The princess was knocked back. The real problem was that she now had back up. No less than twenty fire nation soldiers now began surrounding her. Well this is just great, she thought. So much for stealth.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko crept down the hall towards the cells. He didn’t bother with his mask. They had Iroh, so they would know him. There was a single guard with his back to him. The guard was facing a ladder leading to the next level. He didn’t expect anyone to come up from the engine level. Zuko moved closer. With one blow, he laid the guard flat.  
“How did you get here?” He turned and saw Iroh looking at him curiously from the other side of some bars. Zuko took the guards keys and began searching for the one to open his uncle’s cell.  
“Taila bended us over.”  
“And how are we getting back?”  
“Hopefully the same way.”  
“And you trusted her?” Zuko got a bit flustered. His uncle had the mischievous glint in his eye. Why? He didn’t seem to disapprove of it.  
“Why are you looking at me like that?”  
“She’s very pretty.” Zuko almost snapped the key in the lock.  
“I’m here to rescue you from Azula and you’re thinking about a pretty girl?” He unlocked the door and his uncle stepped out.  
“So you do think she’s pretty?” Zuko rolled his eyes and turned around, only to come face to face with Kah, who was whirling frantically.  
“Kah? What’s wrong?” Why was he talking to a floating serpent? It’s not like it could understand him, but then Kah turned and slithered over to the hatch that led to the next level. Without thinking, Zuko climbed up and opened the hatch. He followed Kah, his uncle close behind, and eventually came to the main deck.  
Taila was surrounded by Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and more than a score of fire nation soldiers. She was sending wave after wave at the soldiers while using a wall of ice to block Azula’s fire and Mai’s knives and throwing stars. Zuko sent a blast of fire at the soldiers. He may not be able to get to Taila to help her, but he could lessen her load. All of the soldiers turned their attention to him and Taila turned her attention to Azula and her team.  
Iroh stepped out behind his nephew and the two began dispatching soldiers. In a matter of minutes their opponents were either unconscious or overboard. Zuko looked at Taila. She was holding her own, but something was wrong. He looked around. Where was Ty Lee? And then he saw. The circus freak had crept around behind the water bender while Mai and Azula mounted a one sided attack.  
“Behind you!” Zuko shouted, but it was too late. A few quick jabs and Taila went down. She rose and began moving her arms, but no water stirred.


	9. Chapter 9

Taila whirled around punched Ty Lee right in the face. The pink girl went down. She hadn’t been expecting such a crude attack. Mai sent a knife into Taila’s side and the girl collapsed. Zuko was so busy watching the other battle that he didn’t notice that the soldiers were stirring. On big man got up behind him. The bear of a man put him in what could only be described as a very muscular bear hug. He lifted Zuko up and the fire prince could do nothing but kick his legs and watch as Azula looked at him, gave an evil smile, and said, “How would you like to watch your new friend die?” She sent out a long winding blaze of fire that circled in the air above the fallen girl. She looked up at Zuko. Was it his imagination or did there seem to be a fire burning behind her golden eye. The look she gave him was mixed with fear and pleading. Zuko felt helpless. He struggled, but he couldn’t break free. His uncle was in a similar position next to him.  
Taila closed her eyes and began shaking. Her hands were hold her head as if she thought it was in danger of splitting apart. Azula’s fiery ring came down and engulfed her. Zuko heard a scream. It wasn’t one of pain or fear, it sounded like a cornered animal fighting for its life. All of the sudden, the ring of fire came shooting out from Taila. Everyone was caught in it. Those who could fire bend shielded themselves. The others dropped to the ground. The eyes of the floating serpent in the air above the fighting began to glow, and then so did the eyes of everyone else Zuko saw, everyone except Taila, Iroh, and him. The men began yelling, Azula began swearing, and Zuko realized that they had all become blind. He turned his attention back to Taila.  
She was on fire, and so was everything around her. She was still clutching her head, shaking it back and forth. With every thrash, the fires grew. She was fire bending! But how was that possible? Not only was she bending, but she didn’t seem to be able to control herself. Waves of fire started coming out from her. With his captor blinded, Zuko broke free and began making his way towards her, deflecting the fire that came his way. When he got to her, he tried to grab her hand. It burned, he could feel it cooking the skin on his hand. He smelled burning flesh. It hurt like hell, but he didn’t let go.  
“Taila… Taila… TAILA!” he screamed. She opened her eyes. A final blast went out and he could take it no longer. He threw himself back and everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

When Zuko woke he was in the cave his uncle and he had been staying in. There was something cool on his hand. He turned his head and saw Taila holding his hand in what looked like a glowing glove. He realized he had no burns, no bruises, no cuts. His uncle had told him that some water benders had healing abilities. He sat up and stared at her. Her eyes had returned to normal. The fire in the golden one had dimmed.   
“What are you?” he asked bluntly. She wasn’t the avatar, there could only be one of those. But how was she able to bend water and fire? Could she bend anything else?  
“Dual-bender,” she replied, still not looking at him.  
“A what?” Zuko could smell tea, he saw his uncle brewing a pot.  
“It means I can bend two elements.” Zuko was still confused.  
Iroh spoke for the first time. “It’s a very old legend, most have never heard it. I am only vaguely familiar with it because I met a man whose family believed they were descended from one. Children of two different benders could sometimes be endowed with both bending capabilities. There are some details, but they have long been forgotten.”  
Zuko looked at Taila. “Why can’t you control your firebending?”  
She looked him in the eye, there was a sadness there that he hadn’t seen in her before. “Because no one taught me.” She looked down again. “You need to sleep.” Once she said that, Zuko realized he was very tired, he lay back down. The last things he saw before his eyes drooped closed were the glowing eyes of Kah, swirling around the ceiling of the cave above him. The last thing he heard was a whispered good-bye. He wanted to ask why someone was saying that, but he lost consciousness before he could open his mouth.  
The next morning Zuko woke. He looked around and saw only his uncle. By the entrance to the cave were two baskets of fruit and fish. Taila and Kah were gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I don't own AtLA. Don't sue me. I have no money.


End file.
